Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-27
CONGRESSIONAL.
The Senate Adopts the Resolution Or.
dering an Investigation Into the
Washington County, Tex, Affair.
Bslmout's Committee Given the Right to
Report at Any Time on the Fisheries
Bull IN Tn ir Charge.
Xix CONGRESS.

Of Senators Gray of Delaware, Dawes of
Massachusetts and Cockrell of Missouri
for the full term, commencing March 4,
1887, were presented and placed on file.
Among the bills reported and placed on
the calendar was one by Senator Miller
from the committee on agriculture, Great
ing department of the government TO be
known as the department of agriculture.
One by Senator Edstis from the COM
mit!ee on epidemic diseases authorizing
the removal of the quarantine station
from Ship Island, Miss.
Senators Hoar, Fcye and Pugh were
appointed committee on conference on
the act relating to contested elections.
The Senate proceeded to consideration
of the resolution reported yesterday by
Senator Hoar Ins!ructing the committee
on privileges and elections to investigate
the allegations made by three residents
of Washington county, Tex, as to their
being driven from their homes and COM
PEELED to abandon their property and de-
prived of the right Of suffrage in that
county.
Senator Coke opposed the resolution.
He was not RVerse, nor was the state OF
Texas, to any Investigation of charges
properly made against the state involving
subject over which Congress had iuris-
dction, but he protested that the proposed
investigation was INTO a subject not
within the jurisdiction Of Congress. The
state Of Texas had state autonomy, her
constitution and laws were in full force
and operation, she could redress all
grievances, personal or otherwise, &C.
curing within her borders. The subject
NapuIiarlU within JuriSiip!
OF the state, and the resolution was al
intermeddling with something belonging
solely to the state and outside
Of the jurisdiction of the general
government He gave history
OF the case 20 the effect that respectable
white Democrat had been shot by col,
0red man st the polls near Brennan,
Tex; that three cO.ored men had been
arrested and placed in jail charged with
that crime; tnat Il mob had taken them
out of Jail and hanged them; that the
three petitioners Hackworth, Moore
and SCnultz, who Lad been promi-
nept in influencing and melting
the negro population there had supposed
their lives to b. in danger and had fed
the country. Thst was all there was in
it. He has to-day received a telegram
from ID. c. Giddings OF Brennan, for
merry q Representative Congress from
Texas, stating the three petitioners were
of the worst type of sCalawags; that
they had been mainly instrumental in stir
ring up strife between the races, and were
charged with instigating the murder
referred to, of g man named Bolton; that
the5 were not driven from their houses
nor were their lives thr atened, but their
own guilty consciences had caused them
to Lave the country for the cOuntry's
gC&t. He submitted that the Senate
should not adopt the resolution because
to do so would be to allow the fair name
Of one of the states of the Union to be as
persed without testimony. 1t would be
an injustice which should not be tolerated
IN the Senate.
Senator Hoar defended and advocated
the resolution. The three petitioners, he
said, represented they were men of prop
erty, of wealth, that they had been earn
ing their living in peaceful, lawful and
honorable ways and that they had
been driven out from their homes
on American soil. They were
residents Of that county, NOBODY denied
that; they were now refugees and eXiles,
nobody denied that. AS to the statement
that c,lored men had killed peaceful and
respectable white Democrat, who had
given no ofense, that was not a very
probable statement. Such things did not
often occur in Texas or elsewhere. The
fact YVES that the man who was killed was
disguised as & kukluX.
Senator Coke denied that statement
and said there waS not 5 word OF truth in
it.
Senator Hoar reassarted his statement
and referred to the fact that Senator's had
spoken the other day of war against for
eign power because of the seizure OF some
fishing vessels, and he asked whether the
right of an American citizen was less "a
cred IN the eye of the American Congress
when it happened t. be l.Olated on
American soil
Senator Edmunds advocated the reso-
luton.
Senator EuStis, a member of the COM
mittee, opposed it as a waving of the
bloody shirt little in advance Of the
usual season. II was simply q PROPOSE
ton to make political capital.
Senator Hawley advocated the resolu
ton. He did not regard the question as
one which the Senate was at liberty to
consider or to set aside as it chose. The
power to make the proposed investiga-
ton was not only unquestioned but ire
sistible.
Senator Evarts, member of the COM
mittee, sustained the resolution and ar
gued that there could be no better time
than the present for making the investi-
CATION. 1t WAS OF great importance to
the country, to the state of Texas and to
the southern people that now, when there
was an opportunity, to prove under the
authority of the Senate that this was a
mere "waving of the bloody Shirt" 1t
should do so.
Senator Salisbury offered an amend
meut requiring the investigation to be
conducted in Washington county, Tex.
Senator Hosr opposed the amendment.
The question should be left to the dis
cretion and judgment of the committee.
The amendment was rejected; yeas %,
nays 50.
Senator Call opposed the resolution as
an attack on the very life of the govern
ment and American institutions. 1t was
declaration that the Senate OF the
United States was separated widely from
the sympathies of the people; believed
that people in different states and COM
munities could not be trusted.